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Children in the Holocaust and World War II: Their Secret Diaries
Children in the Holocaust and World War II is an extraordinary, unprecedented anthology of diaries written by children all across Nazi-occupied Europe and in England.
Twenty-three young people, ages ten through eighteen, recount in vivid detail the horrors they lived through. As powerful as The Diary of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary , children's experiences are written with an unguarded eloquence that belies their years.
Some of the diarists a Hungarian girl, selected by Mengele to be put in a line of prisoners who were tortured and murdered; a Danish Christian boy executed by the Nazis for his partisan work; and a twelve-year-old Dutch boy who lived through the Blitzkrieg in Rotterdam. And many others. These heartbreaking stories paint a harrowing picture of a genocide that will never be forgotten, and a war that shaped many generations to follow.
All of their voices and visions ennoble us all.
Twenty-three young people, ages ten through eighteen, recount in vivid detail the horrors they lived through. As powerful as The Diary of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary , children's experiences are written with an unguarded eloquence that belies their years.
Some of the diarists a Hungarian girl, selected by Mengele to be put in a line of prisoners who were tortured and murdered; a Danish Christian boy executed by the Nazis for his partisan work; and a twelve-year-old Dutch boy who lived through the Blitzkrieg in Rotterdam. And many others. These heartbreaking stories paint a harrowing picture of a genocide that will never be forgotten, and a war that shaped many generations to follow.
All of their voices and visions ennoble us all.
440 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1995
42 people are currently reading
3387 people want to read
About the author
Laurel Holliday
11 books5 followersLaurel Holliday, formerly a college teacher, editor, and psychotherapist, now writes full time in Seattle.
She is the award-winning author of the Children of Conflict series. The three volumes were collected and abridged in the Archway Paperback edition titled Why Do They Hate Me?: Young Lives Caught in War and Conflict. Dreaming in Color, Living in Black and White is an abridged edition of Holliday's fourth title in the Children of Conflict series, Children of the Dream: Our Own Stories of Growing Up Black in America.
Laurel Holliday is also the author of Heartsongs, an international collection of young girls' diaries, which won a Best Book for Young Adults Award from the American Library Association.
She is the award-winning author of the Children of Conflict series. The three volumes were collected and abridged in the Archway Paperback edition titled Why Do They Hate Me?: Young Lives Caught in War and Conflict. Dreaming in Color, Living in Black and White is an abridged edition of Holliday's fourth title in the Children of Conflict series, Children of the Dream: Our Own Stories of Growing Up Black in America.
Laurel Holliday is also the author of Heartsongs, an international collection of young girls' diaries, which won a Best Book for Young Adults Award from the American Library Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
March 26, 2009
Some may disagree with my rating, but this book is incredible with so many incredible stories written by incredible people. Yes, I used incredible a lot but I really mean it. The sufferings that little ten-year-olds wrote about was absolutely horrific, yet they kept writing and they wrote well. And not just ten-year-olds, there were children of every age that were subjected to this disgusting, ultimate show of ignorance and discrimination. I highly recommend this book to anyone who can read. This happened, but these children found sunshine in the storm, which deserves one hundred medals in my opinion.
February 20, 2021
In this compendium, Laurel Holliday has collected diary entries of 23 kids (ages 10 to 18) as they wrote about their experiences living through World War 2. Mostly, experiences are from those who lived in Nazi-controlled Europe, though two were from the UK. Holliday has chosen to collect samples of entries from these young voices in order to to provide additional youthful perspective, not just the most famed exemplar, Anne Frank. These were ordinary kids, who through no fault of their own, lived in extraordinary times. Each one, through the horrors of their experiences, left childhood behind, prematurely, as they faced the awful realities of the total war that they each faced. Some struggled for survival. Some were part of the partisan resistance. Some became soldiers. Some lived to see the end of the war. Too many did not. Some became famed in their own countries because of their diaries. As the war progressed and they realized their part in it, all had maturity far beyond their years. To read their words, not intended for worldwide view when originally written, is truly amazing. In some cases I would like to see more of their individual accounts, so it could have been a little more complete, but still the accounts are moving, and have caused me to buy the complete books of some.
May 30, 2008
This was a pleasant change from the previous Holocaust diaries I've read. The problem with real diaries of any kind (as opposed to fictional diaries) is that, with a few exceptions, people's daily lives are simply not interesting to read about. That applies even if they were Jews living during the Nazi era.
But this book did two things that made it interesting. First, it showed many many people's diaries, achieving a wide perspective, from a Danish Christian evacuee to a Russian partisan to an ordinary London teenager to the usual assortment of Jews suffering horribly. The second thing was that only small portions of these people's diaries were included -- that is, the interesting bits. This is why I found it much more pleasant to read than, say, the diaries of Petr Ginz or Anne Frank or Dawid Sierakowiak.
I would highly recommend this book for school libraries and Holocaust study.
But this book did two things that made it interesting. First, it showed many many people's diaries, achieving a wide perspective, from a Danish Christian evacuee to a Russian partisan to an ordinary London teenager to the usual assortment of Jews suffering horribly. The second thing was that only small portions of these people's diaries were included -- that is, the interesting bits. This is why I found it much more pleasant to read than, say, the diaries of Petr Ginz or Anne Frank or Dawid Sierakowiak.
I would highly recommend this book for school libraries and Holocaust study.
June 10, 2016
This book is intended for middle school kids. It is still interesting for adults to read as well. This is a book of the journals and diaries that children and teens kept during the Holocaust. The kids range from about ten up through eighteen. There are journals from most of the countries in Europe. Each child describes the horrors of the Holocaust and how it affected them and their families.At the beginning of every Diary there is a description of the child and what became of them. Some of the kids survived and many published their experiences.Others sadly died and their diaries were kept and shared by surviving family members. I wish this book had been around when I was a teen in school. it was very educational. Anyone interested in reading about the Holocaust may find this book a good one to read.
February 23, 2019
Sad sad sad
April 27, 2022
(Very light spoilers)
Words fall short in some ways when trying to express how impactful this book was to me. There is hope and despair, light-hearted moments and devastation, lovely imagery of flowers blossoming followed by harrowing description of scenes within the violent Jewish ghettos. Through the writings of these children, we are witnesses to the destruction wrought by World War II.
Twenty-three children's diaries are included in this anthology, ranging in age from ten to eighteen years old from all across Europe. Though there are certain themes that carry through every diary, each child brings their unique personality and perspective to how their worlds are changing. I was astonished by the talent these children had, and the bravery they possessed to carry out their writings even in the face of their fears and the danger it presented.
There are a few works from this anthology that stand out. Dawid Rubinowicz, whose diary cuts of mid-sentence, the detailed account of the Vilna ghetto as reported by Yitskhok Rudashevski, the letter teenager Kim Malthe-Bruun wrote to his family from prison after receiving a death sentence. The two diary entries from the teenagers in Great Britain can be skipped, in my opinion, particularly Joan Wyndham, who, in addition to having a tone that clashes with the rest of the anthology, is done a double disservice by having her diary right after Moshe Flinker, a Jewish boy in hiding who is ruminating on the suffering of the Jewish people, while Joan talks about wanting to lose her virginity. It was a difficult transition to justify in my mind.
I could continue to rave about this book, and the important historical documents contained within its pages for several paragraphs yet, but I'll wrap up with a final anecdote. I visited the United States Holocaust Museum when I was in sixth grade. When I was there, they gave me a "passport" with the details of a girl around my age. The girl on my "passport" was Eva Heyman, a thirteen year old Jewish girl from Hungary, whose diary is also included in this collection. I was honored to be able to revisit her story and reading her writings had a profound effect on me.
Along with the diaries of more famous World War II writers such as Anne Frank, the diaries preserved in this anthology deserve to be read and remembered. The words that these children wrote will stay with me I'm sure, long into my life.
Words fall short in some ways when trying to express how impactful this book was to me. There is hope and despair, light-hearted moments and devastation, lovely imagery of flowers blossoming followed by harrowing description of scenes within the violent Jewish ghettos. Through the writings of these children, we are witnesses to the destruction wrought by World War II.
Twenty-three children's diaries are included in this anthology, ranging in age from ten to eighteen years old from all across Europe. Though there are certain themes that carry through every diary, each child brings their unique personality and perspective to how their worlds are changing. I was astonished by the talent these children had, and the bravery they possessed to carry out their writings even in the face of their fears and the danger it presented.
There are a few works from this anthology that stand out. Dawid Rubinowicz, whose diary cuts of mid-sentence, the detailed account of the Vilna ghetto as reported by Yitskhok Rudashevski, the letter teenager Kim Malthe-Bruun wrote to his family from prison after receiving a death sentence. The two diary entries from the teenagers in Great Britain can be skipped, in my opinion, particularly Joan Wyndham, who, in addition to having a tone that clashes with the rest of the anthology, is done a double disservice by having her diary right after Moshe Flinker, a Jewish boy in hiding who is ruminating on the suffering of the Jewish people, while Joan talks about wanting to lose her virginity. It was a difficult transition to justify in my mind.
I could continue to rave about this book, and the important historical documents contained within its pages for several paragraphs yet, but I'll wrap up with a final anecdote. I visited the United States Holocaust Museum when I was in sixth grade. When I was there, they gave me a "passport" with the details of a girl around my age. The girl on my "passport" was Eva Heyman, a thirteen year old Jewish girl from Hungary, whose diary is also included in this collection. I was honored to be able to revisit her story and reading her writings had a profound effect on me.
Along with the diaries of more famous World War II writers such as Anne Frank, the diaries preserved in this anthology deserve to be read and remembered. The words that these children wrote will stay with me I'm sure, long into my life.
October 9, 2016
Outstanding book on the lives of people during the Holocaust and WWII. A must read for all! We must never forget.
March 19, 2009
I gave this book a 4 star rating because of the discussion it provoked with my 6 year-old son. He saw the little boy on the cover and asked me what I was reading. How do you explain the Holocaust to a child? As I was explaining it he asked if these children looked different and I was able to show him the pictures in the center of the book of the children that had written the diaries. They didn't look any different from him and that blew his mind. He asked me what had happened to the children and I read the captions below the pictures. Most of the diaries left by these children are the only proof that they ever existed and it was hard to tell him that a lot of them had been killed along with most of the members of their family. I couldn't finish because of the discussion I had with my son and because I saw "The Boy in Striped Pajamas", a movie that brought the depth and breadth of the Holocaust home in a way that I hadn't felt before.
October 30, 2024
Een goed gekozen bloemlezing van gepubliceerde maar vaak minder toegankelijke dagboekfragmenten van minderjarigen met uiteenlopende levensdraden, al overweegt het kluwen van de Holocaust en het Oostfront. Sarah Fishkin is als partizaan beroemd in Israël, maar de verhongerde kinderen uit de ghetto's laten slechts anonieme fragmenten na.
June 21, 2025
This book was given to me years ago. I started it and couldn’t finish it, partly, because I had children those ages. Reading it now I was struck by the insights these children had about life and death. They had a story to tell that I hope no child ever has to experience again.
May 10, 2018
A anthology that will break your heart but keep you reading.
March 31, 2016
Children's wartime diaries is the first anthology of diaries of children written during World War II and the Holocaust.
Arranged from youngest to oldest, this digest includes some poignant , horrifying and heartbreaking accounts.
They include the journals of a ten year old Polish girl recording life in Nazi occupied Warsaw - Janine Phillips. Dirk Van der Heide was a twelve year old boy living in Holland when the war broke out and recounts life during the Nazi bombing of Rotterdam. Werner Galinki writes of life and death in the Riga Ghetto and and Janowska death camp.
Helga-Weissowa-Hoskora of Czechoslovakia recounts the diabolical horrors she experienced in Terezin concentration camp. and the other camps.
Also included is part of the diary of the Jewish Hungarian girl, Eva Heyman, who was murdered in Auschwitz in October. 1944. She is remembered for her words 'I don't want to die because I've hardly lived'.
Mary Berg , 15, at the time of the Nazi invasion of Poland wrote a detailed eyewitness account of the atrocities and genocide in the Warsaw Ghetto , including accounts of piles of children in the ghetto dead or dying of cold and starvation.
Hannah Senesh- a hero of Israel , whose poetry is learned today by all Israeli schoolchildren, writes about life of the Jews in World War II in pre-state Israel. The Jews of Mandatory Palestine were faced with the very real possibility of being swallowed up the Holocaust because the Holy Land was at risk of falling to the Nazis from North Africa and the Syria.
Senesh was tortured and executed by the Nazis after parachuting into Yugoslavia to try to save Jews.
A valuable account is given in Senesh's diary of the bombing of Tel Aviv and Haifa by Italian forces in World War I in which hundreds where killed or injured.
Somewhat lighter in tone is the humorous diary of the endearing and free spirited London girl, Joan Wyndham, of her sexual adventures and escapades in war time London.
It wast until homes were raised and people she knew killed that in the Nazi bombings that Wyndham realized war was not all fun and games and volunteered for the Womens Armed Services.
A very moving and vivid collection of accounts and highly recommended.
Arranged from youngest to oldest, this digest includes some poignant , horrifying and heartbreaking accounts.
They include the journals of a ten year old Polish girl recording life in Nazi occupied Warsaw - Janine Phillips. Dirk Van der Heide was a twelve year old boy living in Holland when the war broke out and recounts life during the Nazi bombing of Rotterdam. Werner Galinki writes of life and death in the Riga Ghetto and and Janowska death camp.
Helga-Weissowa-Hoskora of Czechoslovakia recounts the diabolical horrors she experienced in Terezin concentration camp. and the other camps.
Also included is part of the diary of the Jewish Hungarian girl, Eva Heyman, who was murdered in Auschwitz in October. 1944. She is remembered for her words 'I don't want to die because I've hardly lived'.
Mary Berg , 15, at the time of the Nazi invasion of Poland wrote a detailed eyewitness account of the atrocities and genocide in the Warsaw Ghetto , including accounts of piles of children in the ghetto dead or dying of cold and starvation.
Hannah Senesh- a hero of Israel , whose poetry is learned today by all Israeli schoolchildren, writes about life of the Jews in World War II in pre-state Israel. The Jews of Mandatory Palestine were faced with the very real possibility of being swallowed up the Holocaust because the Holy Land was at risk of falling to the Nazis from North Africa and the Syria.
Senesh was tortured and executed by the Nazis after parachuting into Yugoslavia to try to save Jews.
A valuable account is given in Senesh's diary of the bombing of Tel Aviv and Haifa by Italian forces in World War I in which hundreds where killed or injured.
Somewhat lighter in tone is the humorous diary of the endearing and free spirited London girl, Joan Wyndham, of her sexual adventures and escapades in war time London.
It wast until homes were raised and people she knew killed that in the Nazi bombings that Wyndham realized war was not all fun and games and volunteered for the Womens Armed Services.
A very moving and vivid collection of accounts and highly recommended.
November 15, 2016
Review written for www.theradbooks.blogspot.com
Summary:
This anthology has collected excerpts from the diaries of 23 children who lived during the Holocaust and World War II. The children’s ages range from ten through eighteen years old. These diaries address topics including life in the ghetto and the horrors of concentration camps. Some excerpts focus on the day-to-day actions of people while others only address major events in the war.
Pros:
The variety of ages, genders, and countries give a comprehensive picture of the terrors of the Holocaust.
Each of the diaries has a different focus and tone to it. Some of the accounts were of rich children from other countries that were barely affected, others discussed the horrors they experienced first-hand.
Cons:
Some of the diaries became a bit boring towards the end of them as some of the day-to-day details are no different than of someone not affected by the war.
Final Thoughts:
Definitely a great book to flip through if you want to gain a better understanding of the different experiences of families in the war. More often than not, Anne Frank’s diary is the main diary that is remembered despite the multitude of other accounts that have been published.
Summary:
This anthology has collected excerpts from the diaries of 23 children who lived during the Holocaust and World War II. The children’s ages range from ten through eighteen years old. These diaries address topics including life in the ghetto and the horrors of concentration camps. Some excerpts focus on the day-to-day actions of people while others only address major events in the war.
Pros:
The variety of ages, genders, and countries give a comprehensive picture of the terrors of the Holocaust.
Each of the diaries has a different focus and tone to it. Some of the accounts were of rich children from other countries that were barely affected, others discussed the horrors they experienced first-hand.
Cons:
Some of the diaries became a bit boring towards the end of them as some of the day-to-day details are no different than of someone not affected by the war.
Final Thoughts:
Definitely a great book to flip through if you want to gain a better understanding of the different experiences of families in the war. More often than not, Anne Frank’s diary is the main diary that is remembered despite the multitude of other accounts that have been published.
May 16, 2009
I'm not going to rate this because I didn't even get halfway through. I'm into reading Holocaust books but this just didn't keep my mind occupied. Hard to imagine huh?
Some of the diaries are rather interesting but some just plain bored me. How that's possible I don't know and this almost seems backward but I'd rather read one diary- the WHOLE diary. Whether it be two entries or two hundred. I don't want to start and stop out of nowhere with a bunch of different people. I want to get to know them and get to know what they went through. That's impossible to do when you're reading about 10 pages.
Now, some are longer than that of course, the edition I have is over 400 pages long. Still, it couldn't hold me and I tried repeatedly.
This says something because I'm not big on stopping a book in the middle and I've never, until now, not finished a Holocaust related book.
Some of the diaries are rather interesting but some just plain bored me. How that's possible I don't know and this almost seems backward but I'd rather read one diary- the WHOLE diary. Whether it be two entries or two hundred. I don't want to start and stop out of nowhere with a bunch of different people. I want to get to know them and get to know what they went through. That's impossible to do when you're reading about 10 pages.
Now, some are longer than that of course, the edition I have is over 400 pages long. Still, it couldn't hold me and I tried repeatedly.
This says something because I'm not big on stopping a book in the middle and I've never, until now, not finished a Holocaust related book.
August 25, 2010
A very sad book, Just reading these children's diaries during wartime makes me realise how lucky we are living in a free society. This book isn't just about the Jewish children, there are a couple of diaries from young people living in Britain during the Blitz. How these 2 dealt with wartime is so different to the Jewish people in occupied Europe. In Britain people were complaining about shortages of clothing and food, the Jewish children didn't have anything to eat. Sadly abuse of different nationalities of people are still going on, people will never learn.
April 2, 2009
this one was inspiring. it gives multiple accounts of children in the holocaust, not only involved but also those who were affected by it indirectly. it showed me that everyone deals with war differently. some rise to the occasion, some don't.
April 10, 2009
I was amazed at the strength the children showed under such horrible conditions. Their writing was stiring. Made me appreciative of the small comforts and the peace I have the privledge to feel each day. So sad to see how human beings can inflict such pain on each other.
February 23, 2025
Just as the book starts off decribing, we (at least Americans) know Anne Frank and her life in hiding, we know a lot about the horror inside concentration camps, but this book gave me even more perspective. Childrens accounts for life during and inside the ghetto's, the courage of needing to join, the strength of positivity and refusing to give up amidst the dealth around them, even naive moments and the mundane life that still occurred (relationships, chores, etc.)
There is little to no other words to be said besides my thankfulness of the preservation for these entries to educate those that were fortunate to not have suffered it. The book breaks your heart in a humbling way and my heart goes to those and their families.
---
A couple of honorable quotes;
"I felt I was faced with two possibilities: to seek personal happiness and shut my eyes to all the faults in my surroundings, or else to invest my efforts in the difficult and devastating war for the things I deem good and proper"
- Sarah Fishkin
"nothing is impossible no matter how black things look at the moment. There are millions of possibilities which can't be forseen, and no situation exists which can't be completely changed in a moment"
- kim malthe-Bruun
There is little to no other words to be said besides my thankfulness of the preservation for these entries to educate those that were fortunate to not have suffered it. The book breaks your heart in a humbling way and my heart goes to those and their families.
---
A couple of honorable quotes;
"I felt I was faced with two possibilities: to seek personal happiness and shut my eyes to all the faults in my surroundings, or else to invest my efforts in the difficult and devastating war for the things I deem good and proper"
- Sarah Fishkin
"nothing is impossible no matter how black things look at the moment. There are millions of possibilities which can't be forseen, and no situation exists which can't be completely changed in a moment"
- kim malthe-Bruun
September 13, 2014
Children in the Holocaust and World War II: Their Secret Diaries is an almost must-read in my opinion. It is incredibly compelling and emotional. Memoirs are great. They are. I have loved many autobiographies and biographies. But diaries are a bit unique. They tend to stay in the moment; there is a rawness perhaps in the emotions. They capture specific moments in time. They record the best and worst and everything in between. These diary entries are well worth reading.
This book gathers together diary entries from twenty-two writers. The countries represented include: Poland, Holland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, Russia, Belgiam, England, Israel, and Denmark. Seven of the twenty-two writers are from Poland. Some writers survived the war. Others did not. I believe that all of these entries have been previously published in some format, in at least one language. The listed age refers to the writer's age for the first diary entry printed in the book. This book provides excerpts from diaries. None of the diaries, I believe, are reprinted in full. These excerpts represent the diaries as a whole, and provide a bigger picture for understanding the war.
Janine Phillips, Poland, 10 years old
Ephraim Shtenkler, Poland, 11 years old
Dirk Van der Heide, Holland, 12 years old
Werner Galnick, Germany, 12 years old
Janina Heshele, Poland, 12 years old
Helga Weissova-Hoskova, Czechoslovakia, 12 years old
Dawid Rubinowicz, Poland, 12 years old
Helga Kinsky-Pollack, Austria, 13 years old
Eva Heyman, Hungary, 13 years old
Tamarah Lazerson, Lithuania, 13 years old
Yitskhok Rudashevski, Lithuania, 14 years old
Macha Rolnikas, Lithuania, 14 years old
Charlotte Veresova, Czechoslovakia, 14 years old
Mary Berg (pseudonym), Poland, 15 years old
Ina Konstantinova, Russia, 16 years old
Moshe Flinker, Belgium, 16 years old
Joan Wyndham, England, 16 years old
Hannah Senesh, Hungary and Israel, 17 years old
Sarah Fishkin, Poland, 17 years old
Kim Malthe-Bruun, Denmark, 18 years old
Colin Perry, England, 18 years old
The Unknown Brother and Sister of Lodz Ghetto, Poland, Unknown Age and 12 years old
I won't lie. This book is difficult to read. Difficult in terms of subject matter. It is an emotional experience. Readers are reading private diary entries. The entries capture the terror and horror of the times. They capture the uncertainty that almost all felt: will I survive? will I survive the day? will I survive the war? will my family? will my friends? will I witness their deaths? will I have ANY food to eat today? tomorrow? how much worse can it get? when will this all be over? will I be alive to see the end of the war? what if the Nazis win? The diaries capture facts and details. But they also capture feelings and reactions.
These children's diaries are testimonies to the fact that telling the truth about violence is not harmful. In fact, one wonders how much greater harm these boys and girls would have suffered had they not written about the horrific events they were experiencing. Far more dangerous than reading about atrocities, I believe, is the pretense that atrocities do not occur. To turn our eyes away and refuse to see, or to let children see, what prejudice and hatred lead to is truly to warp our collective psyche. It is important for all of us--adults and children alike--to acknowledge the depths to which humankind can sink. The children teach us, by sharing their own direct experience of oppression, that nothing is more valuable than human freedom. This lesson alone is reason enough to read and to encourage children to read, these diaries.
This book gathers together diary entries from twenty-two writers. The countries represented include: Poland, Holland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, Russia, Belgiam, England, Israel, and Denmark. Seven of the twenty-two writers are from Poland. Some writers survived the war. Others did not. I believe that all of these entries have been previously published in some format, in at least one language. The listed age refers to the writer's age for the first diary entry printed in the book. This book provides excerpts from diaries. None of the diaries, I believe, are reprinted in full. These excerpts represent the diaries as a whole, and provide a bigger picture for understanding the war.
Janine Phillips, Poland, 10 years old
Ephraim Shtenkler, Poland, 11 years old
Dirk Van der Heide, Holland, 12 years old
Werner Galnick, Germany, 12 years old
Janina Heshele, Poland, 12 years old
Helga Weissova-Hoskova, Czechoslovakia, 12 years old
Dawid Rubinowicz, Poland, 12 years old
Helga Kinsky-Pollack, Austria, 13 years old
Eva Heyman, Hungary, 13 years old
Tamarah Lazerson, Lithuania, 13 years old
Yitskhok Rudashevski, Lithuania, 14 years old
Macha Rolnikas, Lithuania, 14 years old
Charlotte Veresova, Czechoslovakia, 14 years old
Mary Berg (pseudonym), Poland, 15 years old
Ina Konstantinova, Russia, 16 years old
Moshe Flinker, Belgium, 16 years old
Joan Wyndham, England, 16 years old
Hannah Senesh, Hungary and Israel, 17 years old
Sarah Fishkin, Poland, 17 years old
Kim Malthe-Bruun, Denmark, 18 years old
Colin Perry, England, 18 years old
The Unknown Brother and Sister of Lodz Ghetto, Poland, Unknown Age and 12 years old
I won't lie. This book is difficult to read. Difficult in terms of subject matter. It is an emotional experience. Readers are reading private diary entries. The entries capture the terror and horror of the times. They capture the uncertainty that almost all felt: will I survive? will I survive the day? will I survive the war? will my family? will my friends? will I witness their deaths? will I have ANY food to eat today? tomorrow? how much worse can it get? when will this all be over? will I be alive to see the end of the war? what if the Nazis win? The diaries capture facts and details. But they also capture feelings and reactions.
Shootings have now become very frequent at the ghetto exits. Usually they are perpetrated by some guard who wants to amuse himself. Every day, morning and afternoon, when I go to school, I am not sure whether I will return alive. I have to go past two of the most dangerous German sentry posts..., Mary Berg, February 27, 1942, p. 233
Dr. Janusz Korczak's children's home is empty now. A few days ago we all stood at the window and watched the Germans surround the houses. Rows of children, holding each other by their little hands, began to walk out of the doorway. There were tiny tots of two or three years among them, while the oldest ones were perhaps thirteen. Each child carried a little bundle in his hand. All of them wore white aprons. They walked in ranks of two, calm, and even smiling. They had not the slightest foreboding of their fate. At the end of the procession marched Dr. Korczak, who saw to it that the children did not walk on the sidewalk. Now and then, with fatherly solicitude, he stroked a child on the head or arm, and straightened out the ranks. He wore high boots, with his trousers stuck in them, an alpaca coat, and a navy-blue cap, the so-called Maciejowka cap. He walked with a firm step, and was accompanied by one of the doctors of the children's home, who wore his white smock. This sad procession vanished at the corner of Dzielna and Smocza Streets. They went in the direction of Gesia Street, to the cemetery. At the cemetery all the children were shot. We were also told by our informants that Dr. Korczak was forced to witness the executions, and that he himself was shot afterward. Thus died one of the purest and noblest men who ever lived. He was the pride of the ghetto. His children's home gave us courage, and all of us gladly gave part of our own scanty means to support the model home organized by this great idealist. He devoted all his life, all his creative work as an educator and writer, to the poor children of Warsaw. Even at the last moment he refused to be separated from them. ~ Mary Berg, August, 1942, p. 239
January 1, 2021
This book contains excerpts from the diaries of children written in various parts of Europe during World War II. The writers are aged 8-18 and all are extremely articulate about what is happening around them. One of the most poignant for me was written by an American girl whose family got caught in the Nazi dragnet while on vacation in Poland. They were imprisoned in a ghetto for several years until they were allowed to leave as part of a prisoner exchange. Her experiences and observations were wrenching. Many of the excerpts were discovered after the war hidden, sometimes in concentration camps. Unfortunately, many of the writers did not survive but some did and carried on with their lives as best they could.
July 7, 2017
As an anthology of primary sources for the Holocaust, this is an excellent book. I really liked how it was arranged from youngest to oldest. Many were heart wrenching to read (for obvious reasons) but I'm definitely glad I read it. The children in Holocaust often get overlooked because they were killed, leave behind few sources (like diaries and such), or (if survivors) do not have as clear of memories as the adults.
I didn't like the addition of Dirk van der Heide's “diary". There's a lot of speculation that it wasn't a real diary and used as propaganda for England and (especially) America. It read like propaganda at times.
I didn't like the addition of Dirk van der Heide's “diary". There's a lot of speculation that it wasn't a real diary and used as propaganda for England and (especially) America. It read like propaganda at times.
May 10, 2023
Ik heb heel wat gelezen over de holocaust en WOII en normaal kan ik dat best een plaats geven en wordt niet snel emotioneel of gepakt door beelden en verhalen die er over gaan. Ook mijn bezoek aan een aantal concentratie kampen heb ik steeds een plaats kunnen geven. Maar dit boek is erg ingrijpend het kruipt niet in de koude kleren. Het zijn kleine kinderen die een dagboek de ergste gruwelen neer schrijven en zoals ze vaak zeggen de waarheid komt uit een kindermond. Deze waarheid komt bikkelhard binnen. Ik werd bij sommige dagboek zelfs erg emotioneel iets wat niet zo vaak gebeurd. Ik zou zeggen zeker niet voor gevoelige lezers. Maar echt wel een eye opener.
October 10, 2017
This compilation of children's diaries is a miracle in that these diaries survived the war. For some children, their writing is their only legacy to world, as they did not survive.
These entries make vivid the trials, hardships and horrors as only a child speaking with his/her unvarnished eye can relate. Some diaries are timid, as if the young writer reassures himself that war will not destroy his family; other writers are frank about their fear of death, and the degradation of their mental health and that of their families.
Not an easy book to read, but a needed book.
These entries make vivid the trials, hardships and horrors as only a child speaking with his/her unvarnished eye can relate. Some diaries are timid, as if the young writer reassures himself that war will not destroy his family; other writers are frank about their fear of death, and the degradation of their mental health and that of their families.
Not an easy book to read, but a needed book.
August 23, 2019
Good book with compilation of entries written by children and young adults. Runs the full gamut of experiences from the young innocents to those who joined the resistance.Accompanying photographs of the young writers lends impact to the tales.
November 15, 2022
Amazing book but such a heart-wrenching, devastating read. I had to take some breaks because it put me in a really sad mood. Although, this is the kind of book newer generations must read so that one can have a sense of what it was like for the youth in that time. Never forget.
September 9, 2019
It is heartwrenching, but amazing to read thru the eyes of the children. This book was extremely emotional to read, but glad I did.
February 14, 2020
I love reading about the Holocaust and found a few sad diaries that really stood out to me.
November 29, 2020
Wow. That's all I can say. Kids see things so differently. I was particularly taken with the diary entries of the younger ones. Read it, it's worth it.
January 18, 2021
really good
May 3, 2021
Absolutely amazing yet heartbreaking. It's so sad what all those people went through, especially the children.
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